Next time when tourists visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi, they might find service providers like boatmen, rickshaw pullers, priests, porters, shopkeepers and street vendors in and around the ghats and temples with the best of mannerisms.
For, the Union Tourism Ministry has started a four-day course for them, beginning Tuesday about improved tourist specific service ambience that would also help further the Government’s flagship Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan.
The course for the first batch, being implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management under the Ministry, commenced from Tuesday. The trainees will be compensated for the wage loss.
On the “National Youth Day” to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on Tuesday, the Ministry also launched a course ‘Paryatak Mitra’ in Varanasi for youth aiming to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge among them to help them work as tourist facilitators.
Under the scheme, the Ministry aims to target college-going students in the age group of 18-28 years. Each course will be of 10 days duration. The programme will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, first at destinations identified under the PRASAD scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.
Two another skill initiatives to groom young persons interested in home delivery service as an occupation, and bring up tourists facilitators in the North-east were also launched.
“The programme for making home delivery service as a job will target matriculates in the age group of 18-28 years. Each course will be for six days. The programme will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management and Institutes of Hotel Management & Food Craft Institutes,” the official added.